Antara News·Indonesia·Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 07:52 AM

Basarnas readies 30 ambulances after ship accident

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Tumpal AA, Rahmad Nasution

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has readied about 30 volunteer ambulances on Sunday to handle casualties from the Virgo Transport 8 accident in the Java Sea while sailing from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

A volunteer coordinator of BPK Gamer Yuka Banjarmasin, Gapuri, said Basarnas had instructed volunteers to ready ambulances in case casualties requiring medical treatment or evacuation arrived at the port.

"Based on the information we received, some people have died, some were injured and there are various conditions," Gapuri said while standing by at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin on Sunday.

The volunteer ambulances were prepared to assist casualties upon arrival, particularly those requiring immediate treatment before being transferred to health facilities.

The ambulances were equipped with basic emergency supplies, including oxygen, stretchers, latex gloves and masks, which could be used according to casualties’ conditions.

Gapuri explained some volunteer ambulances had arrived at the port in the morning and continued arriving through midday after Basarnas instructed them to stand by.

About 30 volunteer ambulances were deployed as additional support, while government ambulances also arrived to strengthen medical and evacuation readiness.

He said the fleet was prepared because reports about the casualties’ conditions required rescuers to arrange medical transport in advance, allowing casualties to receive immediate care when found and brought ashore.

The Virgo Transport 8 lost contact in the Java Sea at about 2 a.m. local time on Sunday while sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin since Saturday, carrying 243 people.

As of noon local time on Sunday, the joint SAR team had evacuated 103 of the 243 people aboard the vessel. The TB Mauhaw IX evacuated 16 people, including 15 survivors and one person who died, while the TB TCP evacuated 38 people, all of whom survived.

Meanwhile, the MV Haida evacuated 49 survivors, bringing the total number evacuated from the Virgo Transport 8 to 103 as of noon Sunday.

The 16 people evacuated by the TB Mauhaw IX will be taken to Tuban Port, according to its captain, while those evacuated by the TB TCP and MV Haida will be taken to Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

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